“The weird thing was we thought, do we release this? We didn’t know it would be such a big song. We thought, well at least it will be played at Wimbledon when it rains.

“I think we connect people, and having 10,000 people do that is rare. Modern life is about disconnection, being in a room with a TV.”

Another pivotal moment in their history was when their drummer, Neil Primrose, jumped head first into a shallow swimming pool while on tour in France in 2002. He broke his neck and almost died.

“We thought it was the end of the band. It was a really serious accident. We always said Travis is the four of us.”

They are still a harmonious unit. Other bands of their vintage may have been riven by artistic differences, gone solo, failed and half-heartedly joined forces again, but Travis have remained bonded.

“I don’t know why we haven’t split up,” laughs Andy. “Maybe because we’ve known each other 18 years now. We all lived together in Glasgow then when we moved to London in 1996 to live in this wee place on Green Lanes. We rehearsed every day and lived on a pittance. We had all the things out that bug us about each other early on.”

They continually test whether they want to do it.

“We’re always very straight with each other. After a tour it’s ‘right, okay, is everyone enjoying themselves? Let’s walk away and then see if we want to walk back to it’. As long as there’s a hunger to make music. Even if we didn’t feel that any more we’d still hang out with each other.

Their “forthright” natural leader Fran divides his time between Berlin, New York and London and Andy goes home to Liverpool to the home he shares with picture editor Jo who he met on a photoshoot during the last solar eclipse and Dylan, 3.

“She has a lot of family there,” says Andy, explaining their choice of home. “Our son was born and we wanted him to be around family. We live by Sefton Park. It’s really nice Liverpool, it reminds me a lot of Glasgow. The people are very similar and I feel very comfortable here. There have been very few places where I’ve felt I can actually live.”

While the North West coast’s a rain magnet, sunshine’s not in short supply.

TRAVIS play The Carling Academy Liverpool on September 29. For tickets go to www.gigandtours.com or ring the box office on 0871 2200260